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From previous issues of The Leisure Review

September 2017: issue 84

Humanity's greatest achievement: culture or profit?
The Leisure Review editorial
Why do our politicians perceive culture to be such a mystery and such a threat? And is the free market economy really the best we can do? No, it most definitely is not.

March 2017: issue 83

A new report for parks and why they shouldn't have bothered.
The Leisure Review editorial
The communities and local government select committee has published a report considering the state of public parks in the UK. Their findings were correct but a complete waste of time; and this is why.

September 2016: issue 82

National decisions, international consequences
The Leisure Review editorial
The UK has taken some momentous decisions in recent months but we still have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to consider a few more about what sort of nation we would like to be.

May 2016: issue 81

This is culture and this is our business; we have a duty to care.
The Leisure Review editorial
The findings of the jury at the inquest to the Hillsborough disaster have brought one part of a process to an end and signalled the start of another. This is the business of the sport, leisure and culture sector, and this is why it's important.

February 2016; issue 80

A strategy in which the deeds can't match the words
The Leisure Review editorial
The understanding of the importance of participation, the links between physical activity and health were welcome features of the new government strategy for sport but the reality is that there is little prospect of these aspirations becoming reality.

October 2015 : issue 79

The fundamental questions of government policy: who can be arsed?
The Leisure Review editorial
A new government policy for sport is in the offing but the editor surveys the prospect and, with help of Leisure Review contributors, asks the essential question: who can be arsed? And even more important: why not?

May 2015: issue 78

Questions of culture: framing a national debate
The Leisure Review editorial
Having waited in vain for culture to be mentioned as part of the electoral debate, the editor wonders whether it is time to rethink our relationship with the national agenda. Along with three questions to drive policy development, he also offers a suggestion regarding where the cuts might start.

February 2015: issue 77

Four simple truths
The Leisure Review editorial
With such a furore over recent sporting numbers, whether from the Active People survey or the Premier League, the editor considers the implications for the sport, leisure and culture sector, and offers some simple pointers for policy-makers and politicians.

October 2014: volume eight issue seven

Interesting times: the age of selective certainty
The Leisure Review editorial
The rolling miasma of a general election is heading our way, prompting the Leisure Review to wonder why so much of the political debate is based on certainty that does not bear scrutiny.

Summer 2014, volume eight issue six

Building a team around Wayne: the FA’s strategy for the next World Cup
The Leisure Review editorial
What did Sepp Blatter do on the occasional evening of Brazil 2014 when there was no match to watch? The editor wonders whether he caught up on programmes he had missed and what lessons he, and our own FA, could have learned.

June 2014, volume eight issue five

Between a Coke and a hard place
The Leisure Review editorial
Principles, ethics and cash often make uncomfortable bedfellows but making difficult decisions can be easy, particularly if you have the help of a four-year-old.

May 2014, volume eight issue four

The cultural significance of the number 11 bus
The Leisure Review editorial
Farewell then, Maria Miller and welcome Sajid Javid to the cultural hot seat. The Leisure Review offers some pointed advice on how an understanding of cultural matter might make life easier for them and their political colleagues.

April 2014, volume eight issue third

Leadership: we'll know it when we see it
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor considers the lessons and learning opportunities revealed in the Leisure Review on leadership series.

March 2014, volume eight issue two

Seeking the legacy of unintended consequences
The Leisure Review editorial
With the Olympic venues opening to the public in all their post-Games glory, the editor wonders what we will make of the lust for legacy once the dust has settled and London 2012 has disappeared in the rear-view mirror.

February 2014, volume eight issue one

The darkest days offer illumination for leisure
The Leisure Review editorial
Although brief and now an increasingly distant memory, the Leisure Review winter conference has left the editor with a warm feeling and no little inspiration for this issue and the year to come.

December 2013, volume seven issue eleven

It’s Christmas: let’s have a Beveridge
The Leisure Review editorial
Seasonal cheer, mixed metaphors and historical nuance, all in pursuit of some good news and an appropriate way to pay our respects to leisure professionals across the land.

November 2013, volume seven issue ten

John Barnes reminds us that it is not all over
The Leisure Review editorial
It is a truth universally acknowledged that football is a funny old game. But not as funny as it should be.

October 2013, volume seven issue nine

Young people: the curse of our age
The Leisure Review editorial
With the political conference season now behind us, the editor examines one of the most striking policy ideas designed, one presumes, to get this nation off its knees, a position to which it has been forced by the fiendish revolutionary might of young people.

September 2013, volume seven issue eight

Bright ideas for darkling days
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor takes heart for the future from a recent conversation with one of the sector's most committed, most experienced and least apologetic leisure operators.

August/July 2013, volume seven issue seven

Nick Reeves: artist, writer, administrator and environmentalist
In memory of The Leisure Review's oldest friend and staunchest supporter.

Seize the day, oil the wheels and don’t go to work
Peter Treadgold was asked to say a few words at the funeral of Nick Reeves and he offered this moving tribute in memory of his friend and colleague.

A fond but reluctant farewell
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor explains some of the pain and the joy of remembering times past, offering small apology for the recent abandonment of his post and a continuation of a little self-indulgence.

June 2013, volume seven issue six

Time to move on and 100,000 reasons so to do
The Leisure Review editorial
With money much on his mind, the editor marks what must surely be the end of an era for the sport, leisure and culture sector. It is, he suggests, time to face facts.

May 2013, volume seven issue five

This sporting life
The Leisure Review editorial
How to take the measure of a man or define the culture of a nation? Sport can do it but only when people do not define themselves as anything other than people who are doing their best for something they love.

April 2013, volume seven issue four

Moving the deckchairs
The Leisure Review editorial
Who would not speak up for parks? The demise of GreenSpace will be cause for great concern among its trustees, members and supporters but it should also be sounding an alarm across the wider sector.

March 2013: volume seven issue three

The difficult questions of theoretical economic realities
The Leisure Review editorial
All too often the simple questions are the ones that are the most difficult to answer, particularly if one is discussing economic theory and trying to get to the bottom of where all that money has gone.

February 2013: volume seven issue two

Taking a day off from the invective
The Leisure Review editorial
Having been given the day off, the editor explains why there won't be an editorial for this edition of
The Leisure Review.

January 2013: volume seven issue one

A quick update for the new year
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor takes a moment to explain why The Leisure Review has broken with long-standing tradition and produced a January issue. It seems it has something to do with health, coaching and chimps, all with a diary-related relevance.

December 2012: volume six issue Ten

Hanging out the bunting? Not just yet.
The Leisure Review editorial
Two news stories, two different reactions. The editor considers the latest participation figures and the disappearance of a local authority's culture budget, slaps his head and wonders why we bother.

November 2012: volume six issue nine

Why we’re here: pandas, Pennines and health promotion
The Leisure Review editorial
The sun comes up and the editor summons sufficient fortitude to put the kettle on and, in the name of all that is cultural, rail against all the things that need railing against.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 15. It's a tough life following Scottish sport, according to our own North Briton correspondent, but the light at the end of the tunnel has been walking down the high street to tumultous applause. Can this be the sign of things to come?

October 2012: volume six issue eight

Who will speak for leisure?
The Leisure Review editorial
Good ideas come round again and again but in this time of political ferment when the notion of the common good is under scrutiny who is able to speak for the sport, leisure and culture sector?

September 2012: volume six issue seven

The power of culture: curtailing careers and ending empires
When governments consider the impact of culture they almost always underestimate its impact.

‘Lympic Fever? I’ve had it
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins provides an in-depth insider's account of life as a Games maker at London 2012 and offers some rather worrying conclusions on the impact of the Games for the legacy of volunteering.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 14. MacSideliner considers the impact of London's Olympics and the prospects for Glasgow 2014, wondering all the while if there are any lessons to be learned by Scottish voters.

July/August 2012: volume six issue six

The public realm: safe in whose hands?
The Leisure Review editorial
Determined not to mention London 2012, the editor starts with the waterways but strays towards Stratford with the consideration of the public realm.

June 2012: volume six issue five

Buzzardgate: showing the way for government action for leisure
The Leisure Review editorial
Of all the recent government U-turns the decision to reverse the declaration of war on the buzzard is perhaps the most dispiriting. The editor explains.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 13. This issue sees MacSideliner taking a long, hard look at the Scottish sporting scene, taking on the mantle of the North Country rhymer.

May 2012: volume six issue four

Defending and challenging the DCMS
The Leisure Review editorial
When the DCMS is in the headlines it rarely bodes well for the sport, leisure and culture sector but rumours of the department's demise are, or should be, overstated. They could and should do better.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 12. This month MacSideliner takes colour as the theme and is also able to report on an unlikely success in the area of health campaigning.

April 2012: volume six issue three

Faster, stronger, higher, braver: what London might have been
The Leisure Review editorial
At last it's almost the London 2012 show. The editor puts the TLR perspective on the record, dismisses the small matter of the money but laments the timidity that could prove to be the ultimate legacy.

March 2012: volume six issue two

Simple solutions to complicated problems
The Leisure Review editorial
Sports participation and the inculcation of physical activity continues to thwart governments, agencies and clubs. The Leisure Review offers a simple, evidence-based and well-researched answer.

The Games Maker journey
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins offers an insight to the process of volunteering for London 2012 and how the Games Maker experience is leaving a lot to be desired.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 11. MacSideliner offers an introductory course on tax efficiency techniques north of the border, sporranomics and advanced coaching techniques in the face of continuing defeat.

February 2012: volume six issue one

December/January 20 11/12: volume five issue eleven

Statesmanship in Bury Knowle Park
The Leisure Review editorial
The dark days of December put the editor in mind of political shortcomings and the value of investment in parks. He wonders whether one might actually influence the other and how long scars take to heal.

Lessons in good will from a very different perspective
Tales from a Tub
A recent trip to Rwanda presented Kay Adkins with a very different view of what constitutes difficult sporting conditions but also served to emphasise the value of sport to all communities.

November 2011: volume five issue ten

Looking on the bright side of an alternative universe
The Leisure Review editorial
A mixture of despair and elation at the top of TLR Towers as the editor ponders success and failure from all angles.

Trusting to the future and the past
Tales from a Tub
From her perspective as a trustee, Kay Adkins considers the pro and cons of leisure trusts, and urges a realistic approach to what they can do.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 9. MacSideliner does some post-RWC chin stroking and wonders at the implications for sport in Scotland.

October 20 11: volume five issue nine

Looking to Mozart and listening for legacy
The Leisure Review editorial
A mixture of despair and elation at the top of TLR Towers as the editor ponders success and failure from all angles.

September 20 11: volume five issue eight

Will the legacy of the summer 2011 be the legacy of the summer of 2012?
The Leisure Review editorial
Millions of words have been written following the recent riots. The Leisure Review adds another few hundred to the pile while pondering the lessons for the government and the sport, leisure and culture sector.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 8. London 2012 from the perspective of Glasgow and some very bitter thoughts on the impact of the round ball game on the Scottish legal system and vice versa.

August 2011: volume five issue seven

On your bike: why Murdoch matters to sport, leisure and culture
The Leisure Review editorial
Arguably the political story of the year, if not the decade, the collapse of the Murdoch media empire might not seem directly related to the sport, leisure and culture sector. But, as the editor so splenetically explains, this view would be wrong.

Just as you are
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown remembers Amy Winehouse and wonders whether we should take a new approach to the lives of performers.

July 2011: volume five issue six

What every plutocrat knows about art
The Leisure Review editorial
The government's plans for encouraging and enabling philanthropy have been recently unveiled but they raise some important questions of where the money goes and where it comes from.

The High Ground
An alternative view of the Scottish landscape
Edition 7. Writing before Wimbledon finished, MacSideliner ponders the Murrary Question and much more besides.

Waiting for the volunteers' gold medal
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins explains why she's looking forward to serving as a volunteer at London 2012 and the thought-process behind her endeavours.

June 20 11: volume five issue five

The tale of the big society and the prime minister's nose
The Leisure Review editorial
If the prime minister is still serious about the big society he has only himself to blame for the political embarrassment it has become and not far to look for a simple, cost-effective and proven solution.

This little light of mine
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown wonders whether the Olympic torch will launch enthusiasm for the London 2012 Games.

May 20 11: volume five issue four

Tricia and Derek's cultural day out
The Leisure Review editorial
Everyone loves a wedding but what does it mean for our wider understanding of national culture and who picks up the bill for all those guardsmen?

April 20 11: volume five issue three

The Leisure Review symposium: buoyed by a new way of thinking
The Leisure Review editorial
With the symposium now behind us, there is a very short time for reflection and thanks before thinking about the future.

Bring me sunshine, in your smile...
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
With the Arts Council's funding decisions revealed, Gail Brown considers what role protests and protestors might play in future grant-making policies.

March 20 11: volume five issue two

Making trouble with Mervyn King
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor calls for a general election in defence of public services and by inference implicates the governor of the Bank of England in insurrection.

Is there anybody there?
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown wonders what might be achieved if we all listened carefully and then spoke with one voice.

February 20 11: volume five issue one

A new way of thinking
The Leisure Review editorial
Redefinitions of culture and new understandings of how cultural services are delivered are on the agenda for discussion. In times of political, economic and financial turmoil, what future for sport, leisure and cultural services?

Is it too soon to book a summer holiday?
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown ponders what we have learned already this year regarding the future of arts and culture.

December/January 2010/11: volume four issue eleven

For hire: The Leisure Review crystal ball
The Leisure Review editorial
In the light of an apparent rethink on funding for school sport, the editor wonders what it tells us about the government and the future for leisure.

Ghosts of Christmas future
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown wonders about an ideal Christmas gift for the sport, leisure and culture sector.

Taking it all back (stately) home
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins suggests that sport, leisure and culture partnerships can be found in what one might think of as the most unlikely places.

November 2010: volume four issue nine

It's all gone quiet over here
The Leisure Review editorial
The spending cat is out of the chancellor's red box and what has been the reaction of the sport, leisure and culture sector? The editor thinks someone may have to speak up.

In Cameron’s fantastical world it’s “Off with their head” or Arkham Asylum
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown wonders whether the insanity is hers or if it is spreading from Westminster.

October 2010: volume four issue nine

A vision of professional representation
The Leisure Review editorial
The Leisure Review was delighted to be able to host a discussion on the future of professional bodies representing the sport, leisure and culture sector. The editor offers some background to the debate.

Does creativity exist outside art?
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown argues that organisations in every field need that spark of originality if they want to succeed.

Is it going to kill you?
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins suggests that looking beyond the immediate concerns and towards a better future for the sport, leisure and culture sector -- and yourself -- might be a good idea.

September 2010: volume four issue eight

Come for the culture, stay long enough to pay taxes
The Leisure Review editorial
Amidst the Wagnerian gloom of the headlines, the sport, leisure and culture sector offers a pleasing counterpoint. With a bike on the stand and a delegation on the move, what could a little confidence in the value of culture achieve?

Why did the art lover cross the border?
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown explores Scotland's thrilling summer of art and explains why the answer to the question may well be 'to get to the other side'.

August 2010: volume four issue seven

The Leisure Review symposium: steaming against the tide
The Leisure Review editorial
In such interesting times there have been some interesting, and perhaps surprising, reactions among senior figures in the sport, leisure and culture sector. The Leisure Review has also surprised itself by getting all collegiate.

The impact of stadiums great and small
Tales from a Tub
With her beloved Spirites installed in their new home, Kay Adkins considers the impact of stadiums large and small on their immediate and wider environments.

Dancing around the May, June and July pole
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown explains how team work, empathy, patience and understanding were brought within touching distance of MPs.

July 2010: volume four issue six

In pursuit of glorious demise: taking the wheel of greatness
The Leisure Review editorial
In this summer of sporting summers what have we learned? That nothing becomes a champion like their demise and that with a close up everyone can see you cry.

What to keep from the big bag of leisure?
Tales from a Tub
With spending cuts in the offing Kay Adkins wonders which bits of the sport, leisure and culture sector she would be prepared to ditch in order to save sport and finds it is not as easy as she thought it would be.

Would you like Mexican ice on your cuts?
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Gail Brown reports from the first in a series of salon discussions at the Tate and wonders whether the debate did anything to advance the cause of the arts in times of public spending cuts. A flag for culture, anyone?

June 2010: volume four issue five

So much to do and so much time to have done it
The Leisure Review editorial
Ever the historian, the editor likens the current mood to that of the phoney war: most of us know that something is going to happen, just not how bad it is going to be. Meanwhile, some others are just waiting for the drugs to kick in and the screaming to start.

Finding the best route to high-quality coaching
Tales from a Tub
When it comes to coach development Kay Adkins is convinced we are sacrificing quality in favour of quantity. Here the Tubmaster explains why the mass production process currently in place fails to support sports coaches and therefore sells them, and the performers they work with, short.

The hunt for 260 elephants and a Picasso
A voice from the gods: the arts and culture column
Continuing the theme of a new political outlook, Gail Brown wonders at the impact of elephants, Cluedo and some rather old fashioned burglary on the political process.

May 2010: volume four issue four

Culture: it's a numbers game
The Leisure Review editorial
Everyone has figures to prove their point but are any of them worth the accountant's invoices upon which they are usually written. The editor makes a plea for cultural capital.

Ashes, ratings and votes
The Gail Brown column
In the first of a regular offering, Gail Brown wonders whether the lessons of political campaigning have been learned by politicians.

April 2010: volume four issue three

The view from the middle order
The Leisure Review editorial
It seems that grass-roots sport is under threat from governing bodies' inability to sell their sports to the highest bidder. The editor begs to differ.

In with a bullet: the real leading lights of sport
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins wonders what a proper list of the top 100 most influential people in sport would look like.

March 2010: volume four issue two

Who will take up the challenge?
The Leisure Review editorial
The latest TLR summit raised plenty of questions, not least the nature and nurture of leadership for the sport, leisure and culture sector. What, wonders the editor, is to be done?

Chasing change: a positive message for sport, leisure and culture
Tales from a Tub
Big Change is coming but Kay Adkins is confident that the sport, leisure and culture sector is admirably equipped to thrive in apparent adversity. After all, what is the worst that can happen?

February 2010: volume four issue one

December 2009: volume three issue eleven

The revolution will not be televised
The Leisure Review editorial
How much would you sell your sport for? All the talk of broadcast rights and how the future of sports development depends on wringing the last drops from Sky has upset the editor.

Strange love: how I learned to stop worrying and love technology
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins loves her new phone and all the wonders of the technological world but wants to remind us all that not everyone is turned on to the latest apps.

Mobile communications: a modest proposal
This month managing editor Mick Owen sets his sights on mobile manners.

November 2009: volume three issue ten

A high time on the High Line
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor explains how a chance encounter became a quest and why it ended up in the pages of The Leisure Review.

Wanted: an attitude inversion
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins wonders whether leisure professionals are in a prime position to narrow the growing generational gap.

Heston Blumenthal: a modest proposal
Mick Owen suggests that British coaching needs some alchemy and that superchef Heston Blumenthal is just the man to deliver the medallions.

October 2009: volume three issue nine

This is what we do
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor comes over all Proposition Joe to explain the ethos of The Leisure Review and offer thanks along the way.

New shoes
Tales from a Tub
Kay Adkins explores the concepts of self-motivation and motivating others. Finding the correct triggers for each individual is the key but beware: it could involve earrings as well.

September 2009: volume three issue eight

For the sheer joy of it
The Leisure Review editorial
After a summer in which too much sport was barely enough the editor wonders just how much neediness you can fit on a tandem and what it takes to get a little press coverage for something magnificent.

Turning left for the right idea
Tales from a Tub
Inspired by holiday mileage, Kay Adkins longs for some room to innovate and speculate within the world of sports development.

A modest proposal: drugs in sport
Taking the Swift theme one step further, The Leisure Review offers a soapbox for the sport, leisure and culture sector. This month: how to sort out drugs in sport.

August 2009: volume three issue seven

How to run a ballroom: a beginner's guide
The Leisure Review editorial
With rumours of large holes in the government's cultural budget the editor wonders whether the promise of a radical approach to public spending will get off the counter.

Tales from a tub: head of the class
Kay Adkins takes on one of the great unmentionables of British society and considers the impact of class on sport and participation.

The NSA one year on
The view from the National Skills Academy
Florence Orban looks at the achievements of the National Skills Academy for Sport and Active Leisure in its first year and the successes of working in partnership to develop the skills of the leisure sector.

July 2009: volume three issue six

Food for thought from a three-course car journey
The Leisure Review editorial
The inaugural TLR summit provided a fascinating insight to the leisure sector and much to think about besides.

Tales from a tub: opening up to your inner artist
No matter how sporty you may be, it is never too late to develop an appreciation of art. Kay Adkins explains how new horizons have have had a postive impact upon her work.

Employee motivation – central to positive performance
The view from the National Skills Academy
Following her exploration of leadership in the last issue, Florence Orban looks at motivation and why it is central to success.

June 2009: volume three issue five

Creating culture with Le Corbusier
The Leisure Review editorial
Left to his own devices, the editor finds a late-night connection between leisure and a misunderstood vision for an architectural future. Why, he wonders, didn't Hazel Blears spot it?

Tales from a tub: coaching kudos or coaching for fun?
Our tub correspondent wonders if the race for accreditation of coaches is endangering some of the essential aspects of getting involved with sport.

Managing a team – the key to success
The view from the National Skills Academy
Managing a team well requires many skills, not least that of leadership. Florence Orban explores what is often thought to be one of the most challenging aspects of management.

May 2009: volume three issue four

The shoulder season: slope them or stand on them
The Leisure Review editorial
Getting round a table can pay dividends but is the sport, leisure and culture sector in danger of missing out.

Tales from a tub
Our tub correspondent is relaxing but still wondering about the best way to get people active. To her own surprise Kay Adkins finds that a TV screen may offer at least one solution.

Why professionalism pays
The view from the National Skills Academy
NSA chief executive Florence Orban wonders why training is so often under fire when it delivers so much for everyone concerned.

April 2009: volume three issue three

Flawed but an opportunity nonetheless
The Leisure Review editorial
The government's free swimming initiative has been held up to scrutiny by the sector and found wanting by many but is there more in it for leisure than bather density?

Tales from a tub
Despite a leak, Kay Adkins looks at the demands on those working in the sport and active leisure industry and urges caution.

Out of the darkness
The view from the National Skills Academy
NSA chief executive Florence Orban looks at why the health and fitness has some reason for quiet confidence in troubled economic times.

March 2009: volume three issue two

Announcing your engagement
The Leisure Review editorial
A theme and an example creeps up on the editor and catches him unawares.

Tales from a tub
Kay Adkins considers mentoring and, warming to the task, wonders on the effect that sound coaching principles might have had on Homeric heroes.

Job-ready on completion
The view from the National Skills Academy
Apprenticeships are providing employers with a valuable opportunity. Florence Orban explains how and why.

February 2009: volume three issue one

A new landscape to expore
The Leisure Review editorial
Schadenfreude, hubris and integrity. What could it all mean for sport, leisure and culture?

Tale from a tub
Kay Adkins is back in the saddle and it is affecting her work. The good news is that the impact is wholly positive. The bad news is that she thinks we should all try it.

Thinking again
The view from the National Skills Academy
Florence Orban explains why a long-term view of business and staff development is likely to pay dividends.

December 2008: volume two issue eleven

Building a better mousetrap twice a month
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor has what he hopes will be exciting news for the sport and leisure fraternity.

Tale from a tub
Kay Adkins looks at coaching from the other side of the tutoring role for the first time in a number of years as she goes after a new set of badges.

The NSA: ready to go
News from the National Skills Academy
With the National Skills Academy officially launched, Florence Orban explains how the academy will work on behalf of the sport and active leisure sector.

November 2008: volume two issue ten

To swim or not to swim
Roger Millward, chief executive of the Swimming Teachers’ Association, explains why investing £140 million in free swimming is still missing the target.

Bullshit tennis: playing the game to win
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor wonders if it is not time for culture to take different approach to the issue of evidence.

Tale from a tub
Kay Adkins considers matters of motivation, with special reference to performers and the audience in both sport and the arts.

October 2008: volume two issue nine

Drawing them in at the end of the pier
The Leisure Review editorial
Why a new water sports initiative, Karren Brady and fitness equipment demonstrates the case for a cross-sectoral approach to leisure management.

Tale from a tub
Our correspondent considers the plight of sporting animals, their relationship with their sporting owners and why everyone laughed when she nearly fell off a cliff tied to a terrier.

September 2008: volume two issue eight

Tale from a tub
A visit to Crystal Palace sets our correspondent thinking about the contribution of our parks to the greater cultural picture.

From Beijing to London: it's the politics, stupid
Having enjoyed the Olympic show, Nick Reeves offers some inconvenient truths for the Olympic movement and some advice for the organisers of London 2012.

From Beijing to London: the home front
With the medals counted and the flag handed over, The Leisure Review took a straw poll of the impact of the Olympic Games on the home front. Here we offer a selection of views from various perspectives on the leisure continuum.

August 2008: volume two issue seven

Flying the flag in pursuit of the possible
The Leisure Review editorial
How London 2012 can present an Olympic Games fit for the next century.

Tale from the Tub
Our correspondent feels the guilt of missing a well dressing and wonders about the nature of community festivals and fetes.

July 2008: volume two issue six

Is that it?
The Leisure Review editorial
The main thrust of the London 2012 legacy plan is unveiled in all its glory.

View from the Hot Tub
Recognising the role that sport plays in the lives of so many people, wherever they may be.

June 2008: volume two issue five

Culture, general taxation and the two-way radio
The Leisure Review editorial
An under-the-duvet perspective of how the world works.

View from the Hot Tub
If you're going to be a sports coach you need to have played the sport. Right? Wrong, according to our pleasantly pruned coaching expert..

May 2008: volume two issue four

Getting away and getting together
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor's back from St Pancras and he's feeling unusually positive.

View from the Hot Tub
She's back with thoughts on just how much the leisure sector might be doing for all things green.

April 2008: volume two issue three

Show me the F in 'funding'
The Leisure Review editorial
What have we learned from our sizeable investment in floorboards and Lycra? The editor's in Manchester

March 2008: volume two issue two

The positive delights of OPW
The Leisure Review editorial
The editor takes great delight in a small coffee and a large pile of newspapers.

View from the hot tub
Kay Adkins reports from a new tub and wonders if wielding the big stick really is a sensible answer to getting people active.

Where will government take sport next?
Given that the interests of grass-roots sport is supposed to be at the heart of what our sporting politicians are seeking to achieve, we offer an impassioned piece from a volunteer involved in the grass roots of their sport.

February 2008: volume two issue one

Rose or Dave: what's on your business card?
The Leisure Review editorial
By way of thanking everyone who has contributed their time and effort to the continuing success of The Leisure Review, the editor considers the impact of thinking outside the letterhead.

View from the hot tub
Kay Adkins makes some startling confessions about her private life and asks some interesting questions about partnership working in the leisure, culture and sport sector.

December 2007: volume one issue four

Cause for a heated debate
The Leisure Review editorial
Sports agencies seem to be under review wherever one looks in the British Isles. Is it time to take the debate seriously instead of just shouting and hoping for the best? Yes it is.

View from the hot tub
Kay Adkins takes a festive approach to fitness and wonders what the UK leisure sector can learn from the Scottish experience.

November 2007: volume one issue three

Keeping an eye on cultural investment
The Leisure Review editorial
As you ponder your leisure budget, have a guess how many CCTV cameras there are in the UK. Then guess how much they cost. Then guess how many work. Then look at your budget again. Jonathan Ives wonders if it's different rules for some.

View from the hot tub
Kay Adkins takes a festive approach to fitness and wonders what the UK leisure sector can learn from the Scottish experience.

A golden era for leisure postponed
With the Eastern Region Sports Development Association currently on ice and a clear demand for training which has yet to be met, Ian Jackson wonders what is happening at ISPAL

October 2007: volume one issue two

Let's hear it for national service
The Leisure Review editorial
It's conference season and the editor's thoughts turn to memories of long afternoons watching Jim Callaghan and Edward Heath argue with Richie Benaud about the way forward for society. The solution, they should have realised, lies with the leisure profession.

View from the hot tub
Kay Adkins argues that investing in quality and fighting for value is the key to making the most of your training budget and your potential.

August/September 2007: volume one issue one

Waiting for the Queen
The Leisure Review editorial
Changing culture and policy will be as important as sport in the pursuit of increased physical activity. Jonathan Ives explains why France, Amsterdam and Urinal, Idaho may be part of the solution.